Putting device for golfers



Oct. 4, 1955 A. c. SHERWAN PUTTING DEVICE FOR GOLFERS Filed April 14, 1953 5 h M m w MW ..1 M MM P, F Z E/ZISZSZK 1E3? W. 4W0 9 i I 4 4 a W A United States Patent 2,719,719 PU'I'IING DTEVICEVFIOR GOLFERS August C. Sherwan, Milwaukee, Wis. I Application April 14, 1953, Serial No. 348,621 3 Claims. or. 273-177 My invention relates to an electrically actuated game device and more particularly to a putting device for golfers.

The object of my invention is to provide a device that will return a ball that is rolled toward the target plate,

after the engagement of the ball with the plate.

Another object'of the'invention is to provide a device that may be used'indoors oroutdoors on any flat surface, the device being'even with the floor without the use of an incline for returning the ball.

Still another object of my in'vention'is to provide a device that 'is equipped with angularly disposed guide rails to guide the ball toward the target.

A further object of my invention is to equip the guide rails with switches and a signal to indicate a misdirected ball.

It is manifest to anyone familiar with playing golf that the art of putting on the greens of the course requires considerable skill, and it is the ambition of every golfer to excel in the art of putting or placing the ball into the cup on the green. Inasmuch as skill could only be accomplished by consistent practice, the device described, illustrated and claimed herein provides a simple, inexpensive, eflicient means of enabling the player to accomplish the desired results, a device which will retrieve and return the ball that has been rolled toward it, so that the ball may be played again from a different angle in its relation to the target.

Obviously, there are many ways that the device may be changed and arranged for difierent types of games, without affecting its operativeness.

Other and further objects of my invention will become more apparent as the description proceeds when taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the entire assembled device, showing the switch gate and target plate in relation to the guide rails, and showing the signal switches mounted onto the guide rails and a signal mounted to the top of the housing.

Figure 2 is a top or plane view of the device as shown in Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the housing in its relation to the guide rails, showing the switch gate and target plate in a neutral position before the ball enters into engagement with the switch plate, and showing the signals mounted onto the guide rails.

Figure 4 is a similar view as shown in Fig. 3, with the switch gate making contact to actuate a solenoid for pushing the target plate outward at its lower end, for returning the ball to the player, and,

Figure 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of a portion of the guide rails showing the switch arrangement for actuating the signal.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views, and referring now to the same the character shows a housing enclosure which is closed at its top 11, its sides 12 and 12', its back 13, and at the bottom 14. The enclosure 10 is open the contact 21:,

at its forward face and is :provided with a pairof guide rails 15 and 15f which are angularlydisposed, that is, they-extend outward and are spread apartuat their-forward end and taper to 'th'e side walls,12 and 12': ofithe enclosure. o

The upper portion of the open forwardflend of ;the enclosure 10 has a shaft '16 extending across its entire length. This shaft:.1'6.-is supported by the side wallsi12 and 12' of the enclosure, and acts as a support for a switch gate 17, and a target plate-18, hingedly suspended therefrom. o i

The switchgate, 17 is shown consisting of a Hat band of metal formed to a rectangular U-shape and is pivot-ally mounted at its top-end onto the shaft 16. o

The lower bar shown as 17" of the gate 17 extends outwardly from the edge 14' of the bottom 14 of the enclosure 10, so that when a golf ball which is shown as 19 inFig. 1, isrolled toward; the gate 17,;itwillcontact the lower bar-'17 first,.thereby causingrthegate 17 to swing backward .into, theienclosure 10 'atits lower end. The pivoted;action,of the gate 17 will force the contact 20 towardanother contact 21, as shown in Fig. 4, and, ini doing so,;,willclose theelectric circuit. The attaching plug 22in the wall 12'-'of theienclosuref 10 has a wire 23 leading from the, positive,contact-2 4,?to and'a negative contact '25, oft-the plug 22 has a wire 26 leading to the terminal 27 of a conventional solenoid 28, supported on a base 29, attached at 30 to the bottom plate 14 of the enclosure 10, and a wire 32 leads from the terminal 33 onto solenoid 28 to the contact 20. The attaching bolts fastening solenoid 35 to the plate 29, may pass through elongated slots in the plate 29, for slidable adjustment of the solenoid, thereby regulating the amount of blow that the solenoid core would impart to the target plate when the solenoid is energized.

The solenoid 28 obviously has a movable core 34, which is slidably supported in a horizontal manner within the windings 35 of the solenoid, and the forward end of the core 34 is provided with a bumper member shown as 36, for contact with the back surface of the target plate 18, which plate is pivotally supported at its top by the shaft 16 within the switch gate frame 17, thus when the switch gate 17 is contacted at the bottom 17' by the ball 19, it will swing the gate 17 backward thereby bringing the contact 20 into engagement with the contact 21 closing the electric circuit which energizes the solenoid 28,

and the core 35 of the solenoid 28, would move forward momentarily, the rubber bumper 36 will contact target plate 18 momentarily, pushing it outward as shown in Fig. 4, thereby contacting the ball 19 and causing the bottom member 17' of the switch gate to repeat the operation.

The guide rails 15 and 15' extending outward in angular fashion from the enclosure 10, act as guides for the ball 19 being driven toward the target plate 18. When the ball has been misdirected and in order to record or indicate a misdirected putt, I employ a switch-actuated signal which may be mounted on the top of the enclosure as shown in Fig. 1, or on the top edge of the guide rails. This signal consists of a cylindrical housing 38, into which a conventional dry cell (not shown) is inserted, or it may be in the form of a conventional socket into which a lamp bulb 39 is inserted, and the conductor 40 leading from the one end of the housing 38 contacts a switch plate 41 at 42 while the other conductor 43 leading from the forward end of the housing 38 contacts a contact member 44 at 45. The switch plate 41 is resilientand extends through an elongated opening 46 of the guide rails, 15 and 15'. Obviously the circuit formed By the contact 47, the wire 40, the switch plate 41, the contact 44,- the 4-3,- and the contact 48, causes the bulb 39 is light, when contact is madebetween the points at 49. n is manifest that the o ening 46 and the switchplate 41 may be of any predetermined length arid when the ball 19 comes iri- Contact with the face of the long-plate 41, it will cause the lamp to indicate a foil! or misdirected iiu'tt; The sig nallight may be placed atany con venient location on the device.

'Ihe' device may be employed for use in man wa s. Fer example, it is no necessary to" putt a golf ball in actuate the device. The ball may be rolled by hand, and a plurality of target plates, each actuated by a separate solenoid, may be employed, without departing from the spirit of the invention. I l

I Having thus described invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent in the United States is;

- 1. A golf putting practice device comp ising' a base member adapted to be supported upon a substantially plane surface, a pair of diver ent-1y spaced aims irisu'nted on the base member" to project forwardly therefrom over said surface, ainer'nber mounted on the base for limited swinging movement fore and air between the inner ends a: saidarms, the inner ends or said arms terminating 4 1 adjacent to the lateral confines of said swinging member to direct all balls rolled .on said surface within said arms and having sufl'icient momentum to reach said swinging member, into contact therewith, ball return means mounted on the base, and means actuated in response to' rearward movement of the swinging member when contacted by a ball, to energize the ball return means to project such ball outwardly from between said arms, said arms projecting beyond the confines of said base member to expose between the arms and forwardly of the base member the surface on which the base member may be supported, whereby to provide a substantially plane level path of approach for the balls to the swinging member.

2. The device described in claim 1 wherein the swinging member in normal position, is disposed slightly forward of the base member.

3. The device described in claim 1 wherein said ball return means includes a member movable through an opening provided in the swinging member to strike; the ball.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1 

